Wagon-brake



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

WAGON BRAKE.

No. 369,995. Patented Sept. 13, 1887.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets.Sheet 2.

WAGON BRAKE. No. 369L995. Patented Sept. 13, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE ROOD, OF \VESTFIELD, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO 0. P. NORTHROP, OF\VARREN, PENNSYLVANIA.

WAGON-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,995, datedSeptember 13, 1887.

Application filed November 3, 1886. Serial No. 217,872. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE R001), a citizen of the United States,residing at Westfield, in the county of Tioga and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wagon-Brakes; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the class of wagonbrakes which are operated bythe backward movement of the tongue, caused by the horses holding backwhen going down a hill.

It consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed, and as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in. which- Figure 1 represents a plan View, andFig. 2 a sectional elevation, of the front part of a wagon with myinvention applied thereto. Fig. 3is a side elevation of one of thewheels and its brake-blocks, showing in dotted lines the positionassumed by the block in backing.

The tongue-hounds are united at their ends by top and bottom plates, a aand a a and are connected with the axle-hounds by a cross rod or bolt,F, in the usual manner. The tongue fits between the tongue-hounds andthe plates a a'and a a ,and has a backward and forward sliding movementbetween same, which movement is permitted by an elongated opening nearthe rear end of the tongue, (shown in Fig. 2,) through which the crossrod orbolt F passes.

To the lower side of the tongue are attached by a staple or hinge bentbars or rods B, the inner ends of which are pivotally connected with theinner ends of levers O, which are pivoted to the axle-hounds, as shownin Fig. l. The said bars, being curved or bent, as shown in Fig. 2,permit the tongue to be raised without the rear end of it coming incontact with or interfering with the rods or levers.

The outer ends of the levers O are pivotally connected with rods D,which at their rear ends are adjustably connected with a crossbar, E,

which carries the brake-blocks. The bar E slides backward andforward,and is supported by the rear ends of the axle-hounds either uponthe rodsg on the top or within oblong stirrups beneath the hounds. Thus,when the team is holding back, as in going downhill, the tongue is movedbackward relatively to the axle and axle-liounds, carrying with it therods B, turning the levers O on their pivots, drawing the rods D andcross-bar E forward, and causing the brake blocks to impinge against thewheels, as shown by dotted lines I, Fig. 3. When the bottom of the hillis reached, the draft of the team draws the tongue forward, and by thereverse movement of the parts carries the brake-blocks away from thewheels.

It is obvious thatwithont some provisions for preventing the blocks fromimpinging against the wheels they would be brought into operation by thebacking of the team as well as by holding back in going downhill, whichwould be objectionable, for the reason that it would prevent the wagonfrom being backed. This I provide against by forming longitudinal slotsf in the brake-blocks, as shown in Fig. 3, which slots receive thejournals on the ends of the cross-bar E. These slots are for the purposeof permitting the blocks to rise and fall relatively to the bar E. Theyextend from the centers of the blocks to within a short distance of theupper ends of the same, the distance between the impinging surfaces ofthe blocks and the slots being greater than that between the ends of theslots and the upper ends of the blocks. Now, when the wheels are movingforward in the direction of the arrow, Figs. 2 and 3, as in goingdownhill, as soon as the blocks are brought into contact with the wheelsthey are raised by the friction between the parts to the positionindicated by dotted lines 1 in Fig. 3, with the journals of thebrake-bar E at the center of the block, where they have a centralbearing and cause a uniform friction over the entire bearing-surface,which is not the case if the slot terminates either above or below thecenter, and are held there until the parts are restored to their normalposition. Wl1en,however, they are brought into contact with the wheelsby the backing of the team, which causes the wheels to turn backward ina direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow, I

they are turned by the friction between the parts into the positionindicated by dotted lines 2 in Fig. 3, in which position they exert nopressure against the wheels beyond that due to their own weight, theparts being so adjusted that the bar E cannot move forward far enough tobring them into operative contact while in this position. When the teamagain moves forward, they-drop into their normal position, as before.

Iam aware that automatic brakes have been constructedwherein thebrake-bar is controlled by the tongue. I am also aware that slotted Inan automatic wagon-brake, the combination, with a tongue adapted toslide horizontally forward or back between its hounds or braces, and amovable brake-bar supported by the axle-hounds, of the levers O, pivotedto the axle-hounds, their outer ends being connected with the brake-barby the rods D and their inner ends to the sliding tongue by the bent orV-shaped rods B, whereby the brake is readily operated and the tonguemay be raised without interfering with the brake mechanism,substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.v

THEODORE ROOD.

Witnesses:

E. F. RADEKER, F. D. MONAUGHTON.

